The Open University in Scotland's Outcome Agreement with the Scottish Funding Council 2020-2023

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THE OPEN UNIVERSITY IN SCOTLAND’S OUTCOME AGREEMENT WITH THE SCOTTISH FUNDING COUNCIL 2020-2023 Contents The Open University...... 1

Geographical reach...... 1

Our curriculum...... 2

Our staff...... 3

Equality Impact Assessment...... 3

UK departure from the European Union...... 4 The Learner...... 5

Commission on Widening Access Implementation...... 5

Mental health and well-being...... 6

Student safety...... 7

Gender ...... 7

Student voice...... 9

Widening Access and Retention Fund ...... 9

Working with colleges (Articulation)...... 9

Equality and diversity...... 11

Students in secure environments...... 11

School engagement...... 12

Students from care experienced backgrounds...... 13

Carers, veterans and estranged students...... 13

Health related outcomes...... 14 The System...... 15

Skills alignment...... 15

Early learning childcare...... 16

Graduate destinations ...... 17

Languages...... 18

Climate change emergency...... 18 Research And Innovation...... 19

Research...... 19

Effective knowledge exchange and innovation...... 19 Data Table...... 21

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OPEN TO PEOPLE, PLACES, METHODS, AND IDEAS

1. Social justice and equality of opportunity are at the heart of everything The Open University does. Widening access to higher education is the ambition on which the University was founded. The Open University is committed to extending opportunities for educational success to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.

2. The Open University has always had an open entry policy whereby our students can study with us at undergraduate level with no requirement for previous qualifications.The Open University in Scotland works with the Commissioner for Fair Access to Higher Education and plays an essential part in developing a national framework for access.

3. The flexibility of part-time study allows students to work and learn at the same time with most of our students studying to improve their careers. Of our 17,000 students in Scotland, 75% are in full or part-time employment. Most of our students are mature learners with the median age of our undergraduate entrants at 27.

Geographical reach

4. The Open University (OU) is proud to be the only university operating across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are equally proud to bring significant benefits to Scotland, derived from being part of the UK’s largest higher education institution. The teaching of OU students resident in Scotland is funded by the Scottish Funding Council.

5. In Scotland, The Open University reaches across the entire country, giving us an unparalleled ability to undertake nationwide developments and support the Scottish Government’s Strategic Objectives.

6. Our students are not required to attend a campus and can study with us wherever they might live, with access to our world-class online library and support services. This is of particular benefit to the 21% of our undergraduate entrants who live in remote and rural parts of Scotland, and who would otherwise have limited options to access higher education.

7. The Open University works closely with partners across the whole of Scotland. We collaborate with employers, trade unions, public sector bodies, institutes, private, third sector and community organisations, universities, colleges and schools. By continuing to develop such strategic partnerships, we will enhance our position as the leading provider of flexible learning and encourage more people to access higher education. 1 8. OU students are not just in Scotland: we have over 168,000 students across the UK, throughout Europe and worldwide, including those studying with us through our partnerships and accredited institutions. The Open University delivers development programmes in partnership with governments, NGOs, funding institutions and local partners. Our programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia address areas such as front-line health services, teacher education and English language teaching. The Scottish Government currently funds the Zambian Education School- based Training (ZEST) project, enabling the OU to work with World Vision Zambia to develop and roll out a high quality, school-based, professional development programme which will reach up to 4,000 primary school teachers and leaders across Zambia’s Central Province. The project began in October 2017 and will run to 2022.

9. The Open University is also accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognised by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). It defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources.

Our curriculum

10. Our qualifications are fully aligned with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) and students can study for these as well as individual, credit-based modules on a standalone basis.

11. We offer a wide range of qualifications, including the uniquely flexible suite of Open qualifications: the Open CertHE, Open DipHE and BA/BSc Open, which allow students to tailor a qualification around their interests and career needs.

12. The development of our modules is a uniquely collaborative process delivered by multi-disciplinary course teams. These teams include: OU academic staff working in partnership with colleagues from other educational institutions; educational technologists and media specialists contributing pedagogic and technical expertise; and external assessors to ensure academic standards are consistent with other universities. This model has helped to build the University’s reputation for pedagogical innovation, academic rigour and quality, and has been adopted by distance teaching institutions worldwide.

13. The Open University is a mass communicator of free, informal learning nationally and globally through its OpenLearn website, OpenLearn Create, iTunesU, the OU channel on YouTube, and FutureLearn - a private company jointly owned by The Open University and The SEEK Group.

14. The OpenLearn website gives the public free access to learning materials from the OU. These materials either come from our modules or are developed to support our BBC television and radio programmes, and provide expert comment on topical issues. All OpenLearn courses are also available on Google Play and Amazon for Kindle.

15. OpenLearn Create is an innovative open educational platform where individuals and organisations can publish their own open content, open courses and resources. It allows The Open University in Scotland to co-create open educational resources (OER) with partners, such as the Carers Trust and Parkinson’s UK.

16. The University’s OpenSTEM Labs provide users with access to laboratory and field investigations in a distance learning context. The OpenSTEM Labs currently have four distinct zones, three of which connect users to equipment and data via authentic, web-based interfaces: the OpenScience Laboratory, the OpenEngineering Lab, and the OpenScience Observatories. The fourth zone houses the University’s teaching labs to give our students exposure to ‘at-the-bench’ practical skills where required.

2 17. The Open University’s unique partnership with the BBC continues to flourish and evolve with programmes such as an upcoming natural history series to be presented by Sir David Attenborough in autumn 2020. In the UK, OU-produced programmes are viewed and listened to hundreds of millions of times each year. The Identifying and We’re ranked in the top third 21 72 supporting additional of UK universities in the 18. Academic experts across the University are involved of undergraduate of undergraduates entrants We have 15 support needs in Early Research Excellence Framework entrants live in recieve a part-timein all OU/BBC fee productions andpartnerships inspire people with to Learning Childcare (ELC) remote or rural areas grant Scottish colleges course launched on take their interest further by visiting the OpenLearn OpenLearn Create website; viewers are encouraged to access videos, interactive games and podcasts as well as articles and booklets.

Our staff 9 of undergraduates Our research is officially entrants19. liveThe in Open University in Scotland has over 160 staff ES identifed 94 of 160 Scotland’s 40 most recognised as world-leading respondents were and internationally excellent staff based at our disadvantagedbased areas in our office in Edinburgh. 18 satisfied with their Scotland office of undergraduates entrants in terms of quality, impact and experience at the OU. environment 20. There are over 470 Associatehave Lecturers an HNC/HND living across Scotland, many of whom also work in business and industry, or for other Scottish HEIs or colleges. Associate Lecturers make a vital contribution to the quality of teaching and learning, and support students by guiding them through their studies and module materials, marking and providing feedback on assignments, and helping them prepare for an We are passionate about 470 ensuring theexamination student or end of module assessments. The Achieving Your Our cultural engagement Associate Lecturers voice helps inform our 18 Goals project is a test working across decision making of our undergraduate programme complements our 21. Most undergraduate modules have tutorial groups and learn programme ambition of delivering student Scotland entrants declared a being piloted in Scotland of 20 students. Making use of onlinedisability teaching journeys from informal to technologies, Associate Lecturers lead group formal learning tutorials and seminars to link up student groups across the country. Associate Lecturers are also contactable by phone, email, and via dedicated online tutor group forums.

22. The Open University is an accredited Living Wage Foundation employer. 17,075 Building on our network of The Open University has OU students in over 00 Open Learning seen a growing demand for We promote free Champions 57 students in 16 Scotland secure facilities our modules in French, learning resources Equality Impact Assessmentacross Scotland German and Spanish

23. The Equality Impact Assessment of our Outcome Agreement is published on The Open University in Scotland website.

75 We support a programme of of our students are in We work in partnership with More than 7,500 students All the University’s have studied YASS electricity now comes from cultural engagement through full-time or part-time The Big White Wall, a free, online mental health and modules since the renewable sources public events, lectures, events, work well-being resource for programme started and book, art, and science students festivals

3 UK departure from the European Union

24. The Open University in Scotland is funded for the learning and teaching of students resident in Scotland. As a distance learning provider, our students study with us in their homes or workplaces, rather than being present on a campus.

25. The University recognises that the diversity of our colleagues is one of our greatest assets. The Open University has developed plans to support staff who are affected by the decision to leave the EU. The University is privileged to have a diverse range of staff working here who have made, and who continue to make, an enormous contribution to the University across a range of roles and disciplines. We want to encourage and support our staff who are EU Nationals to continue working at the University regardless of their role or length of service.

26. The Open University in Scotland is not funded by the Scottish Funding Council for research but, given the proportion of research income secured by the OU as a whole from EU government sources, we are placing much greater focus on the need and our ability to harness external funding opportunities from a more diverse range of sources.

4 THE LEARNER

Scottish Government strategic priority: To provide the best possible student experience seamlessly connected for learners of all backgrounds.

SFC core objective: To invest in education that is accessible to learners from all backgrounds, gives a high-quality learning experience, supports them to succeed in their studies, and equips them to flourish in employment, further study and fulfilling lives.

Commission on Widening Access Implementation

27. The Open University in Scotland is working closely with the Commissioner for Fair Access and the Fair Access Development Group. We welcome the Commissioner’s recognition that learners of all ages and modes are included in his targets, not just school-leavers studying full-time.

28. The Open University’s open access policy means that students can study with us at undergraduate level with no requirement for previous qualifications. Our widening access work targets people with no previous experience of study at SCQF Level 7 or above, with low incomes, and those for whom attending a campus would present significant challenges.

29. As a result of targeted marketing and outreach activity, the proportion of our undergraduate entrants living in the most deprived Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD20) quintile reached 18.7% in 2018/19, with over 39% joining us from the two most deprived quintiles (SIMD40). For the first time we were able to report that we had more entrants from the most deprived quintile than the least deprived.

30. We take a whole institution approach to widening access and provide sector leadership in this area. We aim to achieve 19% of our undergraduate entrants coming from the 20% most deprived backgrounds in each of the next three years. With continued growth forecasted in student numbers, this will deliver an increase to the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of SIMD20 entrants.

31. We exceeded our articulation targets for 2018/19 and we have stretched our targets going forward for students coming to us from college who live in the 20% most deprived backgrounds. Paragraphs 63 – 74 detail our articulation work with colleges with flexible pathways that support disadvantaged learners to progress to degree level study.

32. We report in our data table and our Self-Evaluation Return on the retention of our SIMD20, SIMD40, care experienced and articulating students. The retention of these students is comparable to the institutional norm. With a focus on reducing gaps at all stages of the learner journey for disadvantaged students, we are committed to using data and evidence to provide proactive student support.

33. Our open access policy enables care experienced learners with low previous education qualifications to study with us. Data on our care experienced students suggests that they may begin their learning journey later, with a higher average age than our non-care experienced students. More details of our work to support care experienced learners is given in paragraphs 91 - 96 below.

5 34. Our national school-university bridging programme (YASS) has seen as increase in the number and proportion of entrants from the two most deprived SIMD quintiles and we aim to recruit 25% from SIMD40 in each of the next three years.

35. Our outreach activity is enhanced by work with partners across the country and by the provision of supported pathways into degree level study appropriate to the individual learner. Our partnerships are uniquely Scotland-wide and include schools, colleges, other universities, employers, trade unions, third sector and community-based organisations. Much of the work outlined below, and our associated work on retention and success, is facilitated by the Scottish Funding Council’s Widening Access and Retention Fund (WARF), which enables us to support students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

36. The Open University’s access programme provides three, highly supported, 30-credit modules at SCQF Level 6 that facilitate the transition to HE level study and are designed to maximise student success, retention and progression. Currently these access modules do not receive teaching grant from the Scottish Funding Council, but we believe they should be eligible in recognition of the bridging towards an OU HE level qualification that these modules provide.

37. In addition to these access modules, we use open educational resources (OER) to support our widening access work. They support pre-access activity with learners who may be very distant from higher education. This allows them to start learning informally at their preferred level and pace, gradually building confidence and skills for learning. The pathways are currently being updated to reflect sector skills priorities and adult learning journeys. Our free learning platform OpenLearn has skills-based Badged Open Courses (BOCs) including Taking Your First Steps into Higher Education; Succeed with Learning; Succeed with English; Succeed with Maths; and Succeed in the Workplace.

38. The Open University has an innovative and flexible module at SCQF Level 7: Making Your Learning Count, which enables learners to count previous or current study from OpenLearn or specified other open educational resources (OER) towards our Open degree, Diploma or Certificate.Through a series of topics and assessment tasks, students explore what they have learned on these OERs whilst developing the skills they need to be a successful student.

39. We continue to build on our network of over 300 Open Learning Champions. During this outcome agreement we will take a more segmented approach to our work with Open Learning Champions, focusing on Scotland-wide relationships and those that deliver most to our widening access work.

40. Our open entry policy, flexible part-time delivery, bridging programme with schools, college articulation agreements, and geographical reach, position us well as Scotland’s national widening access university. Over the period of this outcome agreement, we will continue to target our marketing and outreach activity to promote access to higher education to learners from the most deprived backgrounds. However, it is important to recognise that there are people experiencing significant hardship in geographical areas that are deemed to be less deprived than SIMD20 and, equally, that not everyone in a deprived area is individually deprived. The majority of our students are on low incomes. In 2018/19, 72% of our undergraduate entrants received the Part-time Fee Grant, having declared an individual income below £25,000.

Mental health and well-being

41. The Open University is committed to supporting the well-being of its students and staff. eW recognise that a positive and collaborative approach to the management of physical and mental health difficulties is crucial to the success of our students and the optimal performance of our staff. The Open University has developed a Student Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, and a Mental Health Plan for staff; both will be published within the Strategies and Policies area of the OU website by July 2020.

6 42. The Open University works in partnership with The Big White Wall, a free, online mental health and well-being resource for students, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Big White Wall offers a safe space for students to voice their concerns and discuss issues.The website has a range of resources designed to help people self-manage and improve their mental health and well-being, including art and writing therapies and guided group courses.

43. Using the additional funding from Scottish Funding Council, we have extended this partnership with The Big White Wall to be able to offer a virtual therapy service to our students in Scotland. Students will be referred by our Educational Advisors for an initial clinical assessment followed by access to up to six counselling sessions.

44. The Open University in Scotland and the OU Students Association jointly applied to join the NUS Scotland Think Positive Project, which provides support to develop a Student Mental Health Agreement. We have also been awarded funding to send out Well-Being boxes to selected groups of students. It is intended to submit our agreement to NUS Scotland in advance of the Think Positive Conference in mid-May 2020.

Student safety

45. The Open University aims to maintain a learning environment in which all members of its community treat each other with dignity and respect and in accordance with The University’s Student Charter. The Charter is developed jointly by the University and the OU Students Association and reviewed annually.

46. The Open University has a Safeguarding Policy and a Safeguarding Referrals Team for students who are experiencing or believe themselves to be at risk of abuse as a vulnerable adult, or have concerns that someone is abusing another individual who is a vulnerable person.

47. Preventing people from being drawn into terrorism is synonymous with our concern for student and staff welfare, and well-being and the University has adopted a set of Prevent Principles. Students, staff or associates of the University can contact the OU’s Prevent Coordinator if they should have any concerns.

Gender

48. In 2018/19, 65% of our undergraduate entrants were female, which is slightly higher than the sector average. We continue to analyse recruitment by sex and monitor trends at a subject level.

49. The Open University in Scotland’s Gender Action Plan details the actions that are being undertaken to achieve a greater gender balance in particular subject areas and how we will strategically address any imbalances to achieve a more gender-balanced student population by 2025.

50. We have worked with Equate Scotland to review our marketing and prospectuses to encourage recruitment to subject areas that are currently gender imbalanced. We continue to work with Equate Scotland and have focused initially on engineering. Our approach is to consider the issue from the perspective of the overall student journey, looking at each touchpoint to identify the key areas of influence where we can really make a difference. Based on the findings, we will roll these out as best practice across other gender imbalance subjects. We are running several marketing campaigns targeting specific gender imbalanced subjects. From an intersectional perspective, we are also targeting SIMD20/40 men to help address the overall under-representation of this group.

51. We will continue to work to improve gender balance at a sectoral level with organisations such as Advance HE in Scotland.

7 52. The Open University recognises that the experience of transition from one gender identity to another, or identifying as non-binary, may impact on a student’s study experience. The OU’s gender identity policy and guidance are published on our website.

53. The OU does not intend to introduce monitoring for The Identifying and gender identity. We have a legal duty to protect the We’re ranked in the top third 21 72 supporting additional of UK universities in the privacy of individuals who have fully transitioned, of undergraduate of undergraduates entrants We have 15 support needs in Early Research Excellence Framework and we will not retain any records relatingentrants to gender live in recieve a part-time fee partnerships with Learning Childcare (ELC) remote or rural areas grant Scottish colleges course launched on change. The University’s approach to understanding OpenLearn Create and addressing transgender equality is to rely on qualitative information derived from engagement and research. We have introduced an “Mx” category alongside Mr, Miss, Mrs and Ms to assist those who identify as non-binary for gender purposes.

54. The Equally Safe in Higher Education toolkit is an 9 important resource but adopts an explicitly campus- of undergraduates based approach that the OU is looking to adapt for entrants live in Our research is officially ES identifed 94 of recognised as world-leading our unique model of supported distance learning160 Scotland’s 40 most respondents were staff based at our 18 and internationally excellent and teaching. disadvantaged areas satisfied with their in terms of quality, impact and Scotland office of undergraduates entrants experience at the OU. have an HNC/HND environment 55. We are partners in the Fearless Edinburgh group, which is a regional group of universities and other agencies dedicated to the addressing the issue of gender-based violence, and we benefit from the dissemination of good practice within this forum as well as awareness raising amongst our staff.

56. Over the period of this outcome agreement, the OU We are passionate about 470 ensuring the student will work in consultation with both staff and students The Achieving Your Our cultural engagement Associate Lecturers voice helps inform our 18 Goals project is a test to review its existing policies and proceduresworking to across decision making of our undergraduate programme complements our and learn programme ambition of delivering student ensure that gender-based violence is specificallyScotland entrants declared a being piloted in Scotland disability journeys from informal to addressed and that we have established a clear formal learning support and referral system for student and staff.

57. The Open University is strongly committed to the advancement and promotion of the careers of women in STEM subject areas. The OU’s School of Physical Sciences have successfully renewed their Institute of Physics Juno Champion status in recognition of their commitment to gender equality17,075 Building on our network of The Open University has over 00 Open Learning and improving the working practices forOU all schoolstudents in 57 students in 16 seen a growing demand for We promote free Scotland Champions our modules in French, members. Our Institutional Athena SWAN bronze secure facilities learning resources across Scotland German and Spanish award was renewed in 2016 and we are currently developing a submission for an Institutional Athena SWAN silver award which requires reporting on gender at senior levels and an action plan to correct imbalances.

58. We publish a comprehensive set of equality and diversity monitoring statistics on the University’s governance annually. We use this information75 to We support a programme of understand the representation and diversityof our students of are in We work in partnership with More than 7,500 students All the University’s have studied YASS electricity now comes from cultural engagement through staff and students at the University, full-timeand to provide or part-time The Big White Wall, a free, online mental health and modules since the renewable sources public events, lectures, events, evidence to support activities to improve the workstaff well-being resource for programme started and book, art, and science and student experience. students festivals

8 Student voice

59. The Open University in Scotland is passionate about ensuring the student voice is heard at all levels and helps inform our decision making. This is a core aspect of all teams’ activities, with development being led by our Access, Participation & Success team.

60. The Open University in Scotland strongly believes that the student body is a key stakeholder in the development of its outcome agreement and that its views and concerns should be acknowledged. The outcome agreement is considered and approved at an institutional level, with student and staff engagement through The Open University in Scotland’s consultative structure: the Student and Staff Engagement Group, which meets twice a year, and includes representation from students, Associate Lecturers, faculty staff, academic-related and support staff.

Widening Access and Retention Fund

61. The Widening Access and Retention Fund (WARF) funding supports our work to increase the number of people from the most disadvantaged and deprived backgrounds - particularly those from the 20% most deprived areas - to access higher education. We do this through our work with colleges, schools, employers, trade unions, third sector and community-based organisations as detailed above.

62. WARF funding facilitates our work on the retention, completion and success of students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. We have committed to increase our retention rates for all students, SIMD20 and SIMD40 students, and particularly males from SIMD20 areas and other protected characteristics.

Working with colleges (Articulation)

63. The Open University in Scotland has formal articulation partnerships with the 15 regional colleges across Scotland. These agreements facilitate and promote progression opportunities for students who wish to progress from college to university-level study with the OU.

64. In line with Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council policy, the focus of our work is in articulation. This supports learners progressing from HNC and HND courses at SCQF Levels 7 and 8 into university undergraduate programmes.

65. A significant proportion of undergraduate entrants come to the OU with an HN qualification. Numbers have risen year-on-year and in 2018/19 they accounted for over 18% of the undergraduate intake.

66. The Open University’s offer in this area is distinct as all students with HNC and HND qualifications have the opportunity to transfer credit. Our articulation routes are available nationwide, unrestricted by the geographical location of the student or their college.

67. Building directly on the HN study the student has undertaken, we offer routes to a range of degree programmes in specific subjects. Current named qualifications available as articulation routes include Social Science, Natural Sciences, Social Work, Health and Social Care, Healthcare Practice, Adult Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Childhood and Youth Studies, Business Management (including Accounting, Marketing and Economics pathways), Sport, Fitness and Coaching, Engineering and Computing and IT.

68. In addition to these named qualifications, the University’s unique Open Degree is available for all HN students, regardless of the HN qualification they have studied at college.This allows the student to gain credit for previous study, whilst building a degree programme more tailored to their own pathway development needs, or the needs of their employer. 9 69. The Open University in Scotland works closely with partner colleges to review and maintain articulation agreements and signpost learners within colleges to opportunities for articulation with the OU. The University is committed to a substantial programme of outreach work in this area and to the development of high-quality information for college students considering progression to university.

70. Articulation opportunities provided by the OU are particularly important in providing opportunities for HN students who:

• Want to enhance their skills and qualifications by studying towards a degree on a flexible, part- time basis.

• Want to progress to university while maintaining their existing paid employment.

• Have followed a part-time programme of HN study and wish to continue their studies at university on this basis.

• Are restricted in accessing other university programmes due to personal, family or geographic circumstances.

• Have completed an HN qualification which offers limited opportunities for articulation generally, or to a university local to the college at which they study.

• Want to take a break between completing their HN qualification and progressing to a degree programme or want to return to study after a break.

71. The University is committed to strengthening links with Scotland’s colleges and exploring opportunities for innovative partnership working. Examples of such partnerships include the development of campus-based teaching models which allow cohorts of HN students to progress seamlessly to OU study at their existing college campus. This collaborative approach provides a high level of support to students making the transition from HN to degree study. The University currently delivers campus-based Social Sciences curriculum at Ayrshire College, North East Scotland College and City of Glasgow College. In 2019/20, we piloted a successful Social Work pathway with Ayrshire College.

72. The OU Choices programme with Dundee and Angus College, integrates online OU Access modules into a wider programme of face-to-face study skills units delivered by the college. This unique, blended learning approach to access aims to support learners considering full or part-time Higher Education, and we plan to work with the college to extend this programme to a greater number of learners in the region.

73. The Open University in Scotland has developed dedicated OU Learning Spaces in several colleges which offer OU students access to college facilities. Learning Space arrangements are in place with Dumfries and Galloway College, New College Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire College, West College Scotland and Fife College. Learning Spaces within these regions provide articulating students the opportunity to continue utilising their college campus facilities as a base for their OU studies.

74. Over the period of this outcome agreement, we will continue to introduce additional articulation routes to named degree programmes and will prioritise the development of routes offering full credit transfer, in line with the recommendations of the Commission on Widening Access Report (2016). We will continue to offer full credit transfer towards our Open degree to all HN applicants and will continue to support the delivery of our campus-based articulation model in partner colleges. We will seek to work closely with college partners and SWAP in the development of our Access offering and will explore opportunities for creating synergies between these partnerships, our articulation activities with regional colleges and our work with schools (through the Young Applicants in Schools Scheme), and thereby supporting regional models for access to, and progression through, further and higher education.

10 Equality and diversity

75. The Open University was founded to widen access to higher education, and we place social justice and equality of opportunity at the centre of all we do. The university is committed to extending opportunities for educational success to every potential student who wants to achieve their ambitions.

76. As required by the Public Sector Equality Duty and the specific requirements for Scotland,The Open University in Scotland published its Equality and diversity...making it happen report in 2017. This report is currently being updated and will be published on The Open University in Scotland website by July 2020.

77. The Open University in Scotland offers a wide range of support services and facilities to enable learners with additional needs to succeed in their studies. These include course materials in alternative formats and are tested for compatibility with assistive software, as well as special arrangements for tutorials and examinations such as home examinations and, where appropriate, advice about funding.

78. In 2018/19, over 18% of our undergraduate entrants identified themselves as having a disability. Students are most likely to declare mental health problems and dyslexia. Entrants declaring these conditions accounted for 39% and 24% of the disabled entrant population, respectively.

79. The Open University was evaluated by the Business Disability Forum (BDF) in 2019 and achieved a Bronze status in the Disability Standard. The OU is now one of only two UK universities that holds Disability Standard status.

80. The University’s institutional Equality Objectives includes three objectives to proactively address race equality issues:

• Improve the retention gap between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students and White students, for any cohort, from registration to qualification.

• Improve the degree awarding gap between by BAME students and White students, to be in line with the sector average.

• Improve the representation of disabled, BAME, and female staff in senior roles.

81. With constructive feedback from Advance HE and considering the 2019 EHRC report on racial harassment in universities, The OU is reapplying for a Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze Award.

Students in secure environments

82. The Open University has provided modules to students in prison since 1972. Through our partnership with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), we facilitate access to higher education for those prisoners who have not previously had the opportunity to study at this level and who have demonstrated their potential and motivation.

83. The Open University in Scotland is maintaining a dialogue with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and the Scottish Government with the aim of enhancing our work with offender learners over the period of this outcome agreement.

84. The Open University in Scotland is a member of the SPS National Advisory Group on prison education and is represented on the Higher Education Access Board (HEAB) which coordinates access by offenders to higher education provision.

11 School engagement

85. The Open University in Scotland’s Young Applicants in Schools Scheme (YASS) allows students in the final year of secondary school to experience higher education level study in school alongside their other The Identifying and We’re ranked in the top third subjects.21 Students can choose from a range72 of high- supporting additional of UK universities in the support needs in Early ofquality undergraduate modules at SCQF Levelof 7 undergraduatesand give them entrants We have 15 Research Excellence Framework entrants live in recieve a part-time fee Learning Childcare (ELC) access to a subject which may not be available in their partnerships with remote or rural areas grant Scottish colleges course launched on school. YASS outcomes are on Insight, the Scottish OpenLearn Create Government benchmarking tool for the senior phase.

86. Experience of independent study at degree level and access to all OU student facilities helps to prepare pupils for the transition to university or college and to enhance their career prospects. Pupils can use the credit they gain towards a qualification with9 The Open University. of undergraduates entrants live in Our research is officially ES identifed 94 of recognised as world-leading 160 Scotland’s 40 most respondents were 87. staffYASS based has atproved our to be a very attractive curriculum 18 and internationally excellent disadvantaged areas satisfied with their in terms of quality, impact and Scotlandaddition for office many schools, particularly those with a of undergraduates entrants experience at the OU. have an HNC/HND environment small pupil roll, those with limited numbers staying on to S6 and those in remote areas, all of which encounter difficulties in providing breadth of choice for their pupils.

88. We will explore further opportunities to build on our presence in schools to promote learning in the wider community via the parents and carers of pupils, We are passionate about stimulating470 learning cultures and supportingensuring thewider student The Achieving Your Our cultural engagement Associateaccess. Lecturers voice helps inform our 18 Goals project is a test working across decision making of our undergraduate programme complements our and learn programme ambition of delivering student Scotland entrants declared a being piloted in Scotland 89. From AY 2020-21 the Scottish Funding Council will disability journeys from informal to embed the strategic funding for YASS within The Open formal learning University in Scotland’s main teaching grant. The SFC have provided an additional 103 funded places to The Open University in Scotland, on condition that the University continues to run YASS. Student number registrations and participation by SIMD will be monitored through the outcome agreement and the self-evaluation process. 17,075 Building on our network of The Open University has OU students in over 00 Open Learning seen a growing demand for We promote free Champions 57 students in 16 90. In 2018-19,Scotland 1,040 students participated in YASS secure facilities our modules in French, learning resources across Scotland and we have been able to build on across Scotland German and Spanish these numbers in 2019-20 with the introduction of innovative new curriculum.

12 Students from care experienced backgrounds

91. Since 2013/14, The Open University has asked students to self-declare whether they had a care experience background; and between 23 and 32 undergraduate entrants with care experience have registered in Scotland each year. Although small numbers, this appears higher than the sector average.

92. The majority of our students make no declaration as to whether they have had care experience or not. In common with many other demographic variables, 2017/18 saw a sharp increase in the proportion who did not provide information on their care experience status. The number of care experienced entrants should therefore be regarded as a lower bound on the true number of The Open University in Scotland population.

93. With support from Who Cares? Scotland’s Corporate Parent training, The Open University in Scotland has published its Corporate Parenting Plan on its website.

94. The Open University in Scotland has a Corporate Parenting steering group with a remit to collaborate, plan, review and report on OU-wide activities relating to care experienced students. The steering group comprises representatives from staff across the University, as well as care experienced students and OU Student Association representatives. The group meets at least twice per year to review progress on the Corporate Parenting Plan and monitor the experience and success of care experienced students.

95. The Open University in Scotland, in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland, are leading on the development of an open educational resource (OER) for training staff members in Scottish HEIs on their Corporate Parenting responsibilities. A steering group has been created to guide the project with the membership including nine HEIs, Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Funding Council.

96. The Open University in Scotland is a partner in the Hub for Success, a collaboration of Edinburgh- based stakeholders to improve outcomes for care experienced learners.

Carers, veterans and estranged students

97. The Open University’s model of supported open learning is particularly suitable for carers, who can study from home and fit their learning around their caring commitments. eW continue to put particular emphasis on working with carers in Scotland within our widening access activity. It augments our work in SIMD20 and SIMD40 areas, articulation, partnerships and work-based learning.

98. Having been awarded the Carer Positive (Engaged) status in 2015, an award operated by Carers Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the OU has now been recognised as a Carer Positive Established employer, the next status level.

99. Our open educational resources (OER), co-created with carers and carers organisations, are being used by carers centres across Scotland. Caring Counts is a self-reflection and planning course for carers.

100. The University has an institutional Care and Carers Network set up for knowledge exchange around care and caring. Its four sub-groups are: widening participation and support for student carers, staff who care, carer research and curriculum development. The Care and Caring Network has been shortlisted in the Guardian University Awards 2020 in the Staff Experience category.

101. The Carers Scholarships Fund, supported by alumni donations, was launched in March 2020 and will provide 50 UK-based carers with funding for a full undergraduate qualification.To ensure young adult carers are encouraged to apply, 15 places have been reserved for those between the ages of 18-25.

13 102. The Open University signed up to the Armed Services Covenant in March 2016 and has 2,000 active or former service personnel studying courses.

103. The OU has established the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund to enable disabled veterans to study for free with The Open University and receive wraparound specialist disability support and careers advice. The fund is the first of its kind in the UK dedicated to furthering the education of the men and women who have become disabled due to their time in the forces.

104. The Open University is committed to supporting students who are estranged from their families to access education. The Open University in Scotland is a member of the Scottish sector-wide Stand Alone Stakeholder Group which aims to bring together Scottish HEIs with sector agencies to enhance the entry opportunities and support provision for estranged students in Scotland.

Health related outcomes

105. The Open University in Scotland’s progress towards improving the gender balance across all fields of nursing is incorporated in our published Gender Action Plan.

106. We are proud of the retention and completion rates on our pre-registration nursing programme and believe that our robust recruitment and selection process is a significant contributory factor.

107. The unique delivery of our programme means that we collaborate with other universities in Scotland to deliver placements.

14 THE SYSTEM

Scottish Government strategic priority: To provide high quality learning in a system where institutions work in partnership and demonstrate the highest standards of governance and financial accountability.

SFC core objective: To ensure colleges, universities and specialist institutions form part of a successful, world-leading coherent and sustainable system of education that responds effectively to the future needs of learners and the skills needs of the economy and society, enhances our rich cultural life and strengthens Scotland’s internal connections.

Skills alignment

108. With three-quarters of our students in work while they study with us, and well over half of all part- time learners in Scotland, The Open University in Scotland is uniquely placed to support the skilling, reskilling and upskilling of Scotland’s workforce across the length and breadth of the country. The OU’s expertise in accessible, flexible, modular distance learning, means that employers and learners can be offered high quality, adaptable, work-based learning solutions that meet the workforce development needs of employers and the skills aspirations of individuals regardless of where the workplace is based in Scotland.

109. The OU’s expertise and unique access, accessibility and delivery model give us a key role in supporting government ambitions in relation to the Future Skills agenda articulated in (amongst others) the Enterprise and Skills Board Strategic Plan and Skills Development Scotland’s Skills 4.0 report. The onset of the 4th industrial revolution, the requirements to improve productivity and economic growth in Scotland, and the changing demographics which will require an increase in caring for our elderly roles, all necessitate an education and skills system that enables skilling, reskilling and upskilling of the workforce. The OU is well placed to respond to these challenges through our work-based and work-related learning routes and experience in short course, modular delivery, MOOCs, microcredentials, open educational resources and lifelong learning.

110. The University takes advantage of its size and reach to develop vocational and work-based curriculum in partnership with organisations across several sectors; these are appropriate to the learning needs of the organisation and the individual. From bite-sized CPD workshops to the shaping of specific and/or bespoke qualifications, and work-based changing employer needs and ensuring that our students can make a meaningful impact on the Scottish economy and society.

111. Face-to-face workshops, with a specific skills focus encouraging reflective practice, have become especially popular alongside a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate opportunities that include specific and relevant work-related curriculum. The increasing use of open educational resources (OER) in the workplace has allowed experimentation using that methodology to support learning and we are working with employers to develop OERs as part of bespoke learning packages for their workforce, particularly for employees who require an introduction to or reacquainting with formal learning.

15 112. The OU’s own commissioned research, our Business Barometer, highlighted that the current skills shortage is costing organisations in Scotland £352 million per year. 86% of senior business leaders in Scotland report difficulties in hiring workers with the required skills, and nearly half report their organisation has struggled because of the skills shortage in the past year.

113. A core part of our work in Scotland is that, in recent years, we have expanded our portfolio of approaches to skills development and work-based learning, and our work across a number of the sectors that can be supported in support of workforce development. Over the period of this outcome agreement, we will continue to take forward a range of skills focused work-based initiatives:

• Utilise the SFC Upskilling Fund to develop, test and roll-out flexible skills focussed learning solutions, utilising our expertise in this area and working with partners and employers to ensure our provision is employer-led and meets the needs of the Scottish economy and employers’ skills gaps.

• Developing innovative approaches to partnership and engagement with employers, trade unions and third sector organisations.

• Continuing to provide and seeking to develop new Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) in collaboration with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) as funder and a wide range of employers as partners. The OU’s unique fully online GAs enable the upmost flexibility for both employer and apprentice and our well-established experience in delivering work-based learning means learning can be put into practice immediately. We will continue to develop discussions with partners and SDS in relation to future Graduate Apprenticeship Framework development in areas of demand.

• We will continue to engage with Skills Development Scotland, SFC, Universities Scotland and the Strategic Board to ensure that the OU plays a central role in the development of the Future Skills agenda and to develop robust, flexible provision in support of the Scottish workforce.

• Engaging proactively with Scottish Government economic priority sectors in Scotland.

• We will introduce our Making your learning count module enabling accreditation of experiential learning and previous study to count towards accreditation.

114. We will maintain our strategic partnership with the STUC and Scottish Union Learning; building on our community outreach model to offer higher education to groups in the workplace.Typically, the participants are non-traditional learners. We will also seek to engage with partners in the National Retraining Programme.

115. The Open University is a major partner in the UK’s Institute of Coding, a UK-wide initiative led by the University of Bath and supported by theme leaders Aston University, Coventry University, the OU and Queen Mary University of London. The Institute brings together a range of universities, industry, training providers and professional bodies to address the UK’s digital skills gaps.

116. We work in partnership with the Scottish Government to deliver their priorities in health, social care and education. We have a well-developed work-based learning curriculum that enables students to access professional programmes in nursing and social work. The flexible nature of the OU offer means students are often attracted to a distance learning route as they would not typically be able to access a mainstream professional campus-based programme.

Early learning childcare

117. A new free online course in Identifying and supporting additional support needs in Early Learning Childcare (ELC) started in Spring 2020 on the OpenLearn Create platform. It was commissioned by the Scottish Government and developed by the OU ‘s School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport. It has been designed for anyone with an interest in Early Learning Childcare, whatever their level of experience.

16 Graduate destinations

118. The measure on graduate destination has been removed for the next reporting period but we would like to highlight the results from our Employability of Qualifiers Survey 2019, which aims to gather insight The Identifying and We’re ranked intoin the the top impact third of OU study and the careers and 21 72 supporting additional of UK universities in the of undergraduate of undergraduates entrants We have 15 support needs in Early Research Excellenceemployability Framework success of OU students. entrants live in recieve a part-time fee partnerships with Learning Childcare (ELC) remote or rural areas grant Scottish colleges course launched on 119. The 2019 Employability of Qualifiers Survey (EQS) OpenLearn Create which was sent to qualifiers from 2015/16. These 2019 survey results were as follows:

• 94% of respondents were satisfied with their experience at the OU.

• 91% of respondents would recommend the OU to 9 others. of undergraduates entrants live in Our research is officially ES identifed 94 of recognised as world-leading 160 Scotland’s 40 most respondents were • 85% of respondents agreed that OU study has/will staff based at our 18 and internationallyhelp excellent them achieve their career goals. disadvantaged areas satisfied with their in terms of quality, impact and Scotland office of undergraduates entrants experience at the OU. have an HNC/HND environment • 87% of respondents agreed that OU study has/will help them achieve their personal goals.

120. The Achieving Your Goals project is a test and learn programme being piloted in Scotland. Its aim is to deliver a careers registration survey and tailored career & employability services for cohorts of students from We are passionate about their course start in October 2019 to test impact on 470 ensuring the student access, participation and success. The programme will: The Achieving Your Our cultural engagement Associate Lecturers voice helps inform our 18 Goals project is a test working across decision making of our undergraduate programme complements our and learn programme ambition of delivering• Identify student and offer a range of internships, placements Scotland entrants declared a being piloted in Scotland disability journeys from informaland insight to days for Open University in Scotland formal learningstudents and integrate awareness of these across the learner journey.

• Collaborate on innovative 1-2-1 information, advice and guidance (IAG) and 1-2-Many delivery models, which better meet the needs of students and alumni and align with key economic growth areas and the Scotland programme for government. 17,075 Building on our network of The Open University has OU students in over 00 Open Learning seen a growing demand for We promote free Champions 57 students in 16 Scotland secure facilities our modules in French, learning• resourcesCreate and share a student engagement dashboard, across Scotland German and Spanish focussing on students with protected characteristics, to inform our activities targeting students furthest from the job market or achieving outcomes.

• Create a student success activities plan to model goals, motivations, and readiness work, into advice and guidance services across the Scotland student experience model, to positively impact learner journeys and outcomes. 75 We support a programme of of our students are in We work in partnership with More than 7,500 students All the University’s • An animation of what the programme can deliver have studied YASS electricity now comes from cultural engagement through full-time or part-time The Big White Wall, a free, to students can be accessed via this link: https:// online mental health and modules since the renewable sources public events, lectures, events, work well-being resource for programme started and book, art, andvimeopro.com/seekalook/ou-in-scotland- science students festivalsachieving-your-goals

17 Languages

121. As the provision of foreign languages at HE level decreases across Scotland, The Open University has seen a growing demand for our modules in French, German and Spanish. There has been an increase in the number of S6 pupils on our Young Applicants in Schools Scheme studying language modules.

122. The Open University in Scotland, working with Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT), has developed short modules for primary school teachers to enhance their ability to deliver language learning.

123. The Open University does not currently offer Gaelic language provision but in reference to the National Gaelic Language Plan 2012-17, we developed Gaelic in modern Scotland. This is a free online learning resource in both English and Gaelic to raise awareness of Gaelic and to encourage interest in learning the language.

124. The Open University in Scotland and Education Scotland launched Scots language and Culture in December 2019; an open educational resource (OER) for learning facilitators to enhance the understanding and awareness of Scots language, literature and culture and contribute to widening the relevance of and access to Scots to as broad an audience as possible.

Climate change emergency

125. The distance learning delivery model is inherently environmentally sustainable. We were delighted to announce that from the start of 2019/20 academic year, all the University’s electricity now comes from renewable sources i.e. solar, wind and hydro while only 3% of its waste goes to landfill. The Open University’s Carbon Management Plan is currently under review with a plan to set stringent new carbon reduction (and other sustainability) targets. This will feed into a new Sustainability Strategy for the whole University, building on our inaugural Sustainability Week and Climate Emergency Forum held in October 2019. These two events have already contributed to a large increase in staff awareness.

126. The Open University believes it can play a key role in supporting the transition from a carbon economy to a green economy and developing an informed public.

127. The Open Univeristy offers both a wide range of modules and qualifications relevant to climate change and sustainability, and careers information. The OU also provides a significant range of free informal learning for resources relevant to climate change on OpenLearn, iTunesU and YouTube. These channels reach millions of people beyond our own students. There are also online citizen science projects such as Treezilla, a project to map all Britain’s trees and iSpot, the community website for wildlife identification. The OU’s partnership with the BBC has delivered impactful programmes such as Blue Planet II from which The Open University in Scotland developed outreach activities such as public lectures with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. In 2020 we look forward to other co-produced programmes such as Our Coast and Perfect Planet.

128. The OU is developing a programme of activities with external partners in the lead up to and during the 26th Conference of the Parties Conference (COP26), that will take place in Glasgow in November 2020 and we are keen to work collaboratively across the sector to promote the role of universities in raising awareness and helping people rise to the challenges of climate change.

18 RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Scottish Government strategic priority: To support Scotland’s global reputation as a Science and Research Nation synonymous with high quality teaching, research knowledge exchange and innovation.

SFC core objective: To invest in excellent research and innovation that adds to current knowledge, delivers economic and societal value, enhances Scotland’s international reputation and attractiveness, and makes the world around us prosperous, healthier and more sustainable.

Research

129. The Open University ranked in the top third of UK universities in the Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) using The Times Higher Education Power Score. We improved the quality of our research with 72% scored as 3 star or 4 star – the highest available - indicating that the research is world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of quality, impact and environment. We are now working towards the REF 2021 submission in November 2020.

130. The majority of the OU’s research funding is from UK Research and Innovation, with the SFC allocating University Innovation funding to The Open University in Scotland.

131. The Open University has two collaborative research centres in Scotland with the University of Edinburgh (Innogen) and the University of Stirling (the Institute for Social Marketing) and has over 35 research partnerships with other Scottish universities. The Open University in Scotland is a member of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), a strategic collaboration between 14 of Scotland’s universities and the Scottish police service.

132. We will continue to promote these priority research areas, raise the profile of the University’s research, and communicate the benefits it brings to Scotland over the period of this outcome agreement.

Effective knowledge exchange and innovation

133. The Open University in Scotland utilises the University Innovation Fund (UIF) Platform Grant from the Scottish Funding Council to maintain its knowledge exchange and innovation activities.

134. Our full University Innovation Fund plan is published alongside our Outcome Agreement and reflects how the increased UIF in 2018-19 enhanced our outcomes and our collaborative activity with industry, the public sector and the third sector.

19 135. We have fully engaged with the UIF Collaboration Manager on working collaboratively across the sector, sharing our experiences and learning from other institutions. To further develop best practice in relation to innovation at The Open University in Scotland, we will reflect and learn from the outputs of the cluster groups. The Identifying and We’re ranked in the top third 21 72 supporting additional of UK universities in the 136. We will further promote our open educational of undergraduate of undergraduates entrants We have 15 support needs in Early Research Excellence Framework entrants live in recieve a part-time fee resources,partnerships including with Badged OnlineLearning Courses, Childcare working (ELC) remote or rural areas grant Scottish colleges course launched on with other organisations, business andOpenLearn industry to Create engage more people in online skills-based learning.

137. We will actively seek out opportunities to engage with the South of Scotland Enterprise Partnership to help them deliver on their aspirations in the early years of the new agency.

9 138. We will continue to develop our work as an academic of undergraduates entrants live in partner on the Crichton Campus and will expand our Our research is officially ES identifed 94 of recognised as world-leading 160 Scotland’s 40 most activity in the Dumfries and Galloway respondentsregion. were staff based at our 18 and internationally excellent disadvantaged areas satisfied with their in terms of quality, impact and Scotland office of undergraduates entrants experience at the OU. 139. Wehave will ancontinue HNC/HND to embrace innovative engagement environment strategies to encourage more disenfranchised, under- represented and marginalised groups to engage in our UIF related activities.

140. Our cultural engagement programme complements our ambition of delivering journeys from informal to formal learning. We promote our free learning resources We are passionate about delivered through the OpenLearn website, iTunesU, 470 ensuring the student the OU channel on YouTube and the TheOpenSTEM Achieving Your Our cultural engagement Associate Lecturers voice helps inform our 18 Goals project is a test working across decision making Labsof our and undergraduate we support events that are relevant to programme complements our and learn programme ambition of delivering student Scotland ourentrants curriculum declared and provide a a pathwaybeing to particularpiloted in Scotland disability journeys from informal to modules/qualifications. formal learning 141. We will continue to support a programme of cultural and public engagement, key sector seminars, lectures and events at book festivals, arts festivals and science festivals across the whole of Scotland.

142. The Open University completes the Higher Education 17,075 Building on our network of Business and Community InteractionThe Survey Open University(HEBCIS) has OU students in over 00 Open Learning annually. seen a growing demand for We promote free Champions 57 students in 16 Scotland secure facilities our modules in French, learning resources across Scotland German and Spanish

20 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY IN SCOTLAND’S OUTCOME AGREEMENT WITH THE SCOTTISH FUNDING COUNCIL 2020-2023 DATA TABLE

National measures are typically defined with conventional, full-time, student populations in mind and therefore often do not fully reflect the unique contribution The Open University (OU) makes in enabling flexible, part-time, non-linear and modular student journeys. Where appropriate, the OU and SFC have agreed a set of parallel bespoke measures in the table below that align with national priorities and measures. Progress towards the agreed bespoke measures, and other OU-specific targets, will continue to be shared with SFC via our annual Self-Evaluation Return.

The OU is funded by the SFC on full-time equivalent (FTE) completions rather than registrations, with no restriction on the number of registrations. To this end, the majority of our targets are based on proportion of FTE rather than FTE numbers which may fluctuate according to demand. We have used headcount for targets relating to the retention and progression of undergraduate degree entrants.

21 Actual Ambition 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-2023

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT PRIORITY: ACCESS TO EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE FROM THE WIDEST RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS, INCLUDING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION ON WIDENING ACCESS AND ADDRESSING GENDER BALANCE

Measure 1: Articulation. The number and proportion of UG entrants resident in Scotland transferring credits from college to degree level courses. FTE number of UG entrants with an HN background 460.0 477.3 FTE proportion of UG entrants with an HN background 18.2% 18.4% 18.5% 18.5% 18.5% 18.5% FTE number of HN UG entrants with credit transfer 113.0 117.0 FTE proportion of HN UG entrants with credit transfer 24.6% 24.5% 25.0% 26.0% 28.0% 30.0% FTE number of UG entrants with an HN background resident in the most deprived 78.8 91.3 2016 SIMD quintile FTE proportion of UG entrants with an HN background resident in the most deprived 17.% 19.1% 19% 19% 19% 19% 2016 SIMD quintile FTE number of HN UG entrants with credit transfer resident in the most deprived 2016 19.8 18.0 SIMD quintile FTE proportion of HN UG entrants with credit transfer resident in the most deprived 17.6% 15.5% 16% 16% 16% 16% 2016 SIMD quintile

Measure 2: Deprivation. The number and proportion of UG entrants resident in Scotland from the 20% and 40% most deprived postcodes.

FTE number of UG entrants resident in a postcode whose 2016 SIMD rank is known 2,505.3 2,571.8 FTE number of UG entrants resident in the most deprived 2016 SIMD quintile 426.4 480.5 FTE number of UG entrants resident in the two most deprived 2016 SIMD quintiles 952.9 1010.0 FTE proportion of UG entrants resident in the most deprived 2016 SIMD quintile 17.0% 18.7% 19.0% 19.0% 19.0% 19.0% FTE proportion of UG entrants resident in the two most deprived 2016 SIMD quintiles 38.0% 39.3% 39.0% 39.0% 39.0% 39.0%

Measure 3: Schools

Number of SHEP schools involved in the OU’s YASS scheme 13 20 20 20 20 20 FTE number of students in the YASS scheme resident in the most deprived 2016 14.3 19.9 SIMD quintiles FTE number of students in the YASS scheme resident in the two most deprived 2016 40.1 50.0 SIMD quintiles FTE proportion students in the YASS scheme resident in the two most deprived 2016 24.4% 29.9% 25.0% 25.0% 25.0% 25.0% SIMD quintiles

22 Actual Ambition 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-2023

Measure 4: Recruitment of groups with protected characteristics. The number and proportion of UG entrants resident in Scotland with a protected characteristic or experience of care. Information: FTE number of UG entrants in total 2,522 2596 Gender FTE number of UG entrants who are female 1,597 1,706 FTE proportion of UG entrants who are female 63.3% 65.7% 65% 65% 65% 65% Age FTE number of UG entrants aged under 21 404 395 FTE number of UG entrants aged 21 or over 2,119 2,201 FTE proportion of UG entrants aged under 21 16.0% 15.2% 17% 15% 15% 15% FTE proportion of UG entrants aged 21 or over 84.0% 84.8% 83% 85% 85% 85% Ethnicity FTE number of UG entrants from a BME background 120 125 FTE proportion of UG entrants from a BME background 4.8% 4.8% 5% 5% 5% 5% Disability FTE number of UG entrants who have declared a disability 460 487 FTE proportion of UG entrants who have declared a disability 18.2% 18.8% 19% 18% 18% 18% Care Leavers FTE number of UG entrants who are care leavers 13 14 FTE proportion of UG entrants who are care leavers 0.5% 0.5% 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% Headcount number of UG entrants who are care leavers 23 26 Headcount proportion of UG entrants who are care leavers 0.4% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5%

23 Actual Ambition 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-2023

Measure 5: Retention of groups with protected characteristics. The number and proportion of UG degree entrants resident in Scotland from different characteristic groups starting a module in academic year 1 who return to start a module in the following academic year Deprivation Headcount number of UG degree entrants in the most deprived 2016 SIMD quintile 508 Headcount number of UG degree entrants in the most deprived 2016 SIMD quintile 271 who were retained Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants in the most deprived 2016 SIMD quintile 53.3% 52% 53.5% 54% 55% retained Headcount number of UG degree entrants in the second-most deprived 2016 SIMD 660 quintile Headcount number of UG degree entrants in the second-most deprived 2016 SIMD 387 quintile retained Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants in the second-most deprived 2016 SIMD 58.6% 61% 59% 60% 61% quintile retained Gender Headcount number of UG degree entrants who are male 1,275 Headcount number of UG degree entrants who are male who were retained 731 Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants who are male who were retained 57.3% 57% 58% 59% 60% Headcount number of UG degree entrants who are female 1,776 Headcount number of UG degree entrants who are female who were retained 1.099 Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants who are female who were retained 61.9% 63% 62% 63% 64% Age Headcount number of UG degree entrants aged under 21 244 Headcount number of UG degree entrants aged under 21 who were retained 123 Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants aged under 21 who were retained 50.4% 55% 51% 52% 53% Headcount number of UG degree entrants aged 21 and over 2,807 Headcount number of UG degree entrants aged 21 and over who were retained 1,707 Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants aged 21 and over who were retained 60.8% 61% 62% 63% 64%

24 Actual Ambition 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-2023 Ethnicity Headcount number of UG degree entrants from a BME ethnic background 138 Headcount number of UG degree entrants from a BME ethnic background who were 87 retained Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants from a BME ethnic background who 63.0% 63% 62% 63% 64% were retained Disability Headcount number of UG degree entrants who have declared a disability 574 Headcount number of UG degree entrants who have declared a disability who were 326 retained Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants who have declared a disability who were 56.8% 55% 59% 60% 61% retained Care leavers Headcount number of UG degree entrants who are care leavers 14 Headcount number of UG degree entrants who are care leavers who were retained 9 Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants are care leavers who were retained 64.3% 65% 62% 63% 64% Articulation Headcount number of articulating undergraduate degree entrants 198 Headcount number of articulating undergraduate degree entrants who return to start a 131 module in the following academic year Headcount proportion of articulating undergraduate degree entrants who were 66.2% 66% 66% 66% retained

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT PRIORITY: HIGH QUALITY LEARNING IN A LEARNING SYSTEM WHICH IS SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED FOR THE LEARNER, INCLUDING LEARNING WHICH PREPARES PEOPLE WELL FOR THE WORLD OF WORK, PRIORITISING PROVISION THAT MEETS KNOWN SKILLS GAPS IN THE ECONOMY

Measure 6a: Retention. The number and proportion of UG degree entrants resident in Scotland starting a module in academic year 1 who return to start a module in the following academic year Headcount number of UG degree entrants 3,051 Headcount number of UG degree entrants who were retained 1,830 Headcount proportion of UG degree entrants who were retained 60.0% 61% 62% 63% 64%

25 Actual Ambition 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-2023

Measure 6b: Module completion. The number and proportion of UG entrants and continuing UG resident in Scotland who complete a module presentation at the first opportunity FTE number of continuing UGs 5,185 FTE number of UG entrants 2,521.6 FTE completion rate of continuing UGs 69.5% 70% 70% 71% 72% FTE completion rate of UG entrants 63.8% 62% 65% 66% 67%

Measure 7: Satisfaction. The proportion of National Student Survey respondents resident in Scotland reporting satisfaction with the overall quality of their course Headcount proportion satisfied 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90%

Measure 8: STEM. The number and proportion of UG entrants resident in Scotland starting OU study with a STEM module

FTE number of UG entrants studying STEM modules 899.5 882.6 FTE proportion of UG entrants studying STEM modules 35.7% 34% 34% 33% 33% 33%

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT PRIORITY: INTERNATIONALLY COMPETITIVE AND IMPACTFUL RESEARCH

Measure 10: The number of research postgraduate students

Measure 11: Total income from the UK Research Councils The SFC does not fund The Open University in Scotland for research

Measure 12: Total research income from all sources

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT PRIORITY: EFFECTIVE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND INNOVATION INCLUDING EXCELLENT COLLABORATION BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES AND INDUSTRY

Measure 13: Innovation vouchers. The number of SFC innovation vouchers (IVs) and follow-on IVs

Number of IVs 0 0 0 0 0 0 Number of follow-on IVs 0 0 0 0 0 0

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT PRIORITY: ENSURING PROVISION OF QUALITY LEARNING IN SCOTTISH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, I.E. HE STRATEGIC FUTURES, QUALITY ASSURANCE AND HE GOVERNANCE

Measure 14: Carbon. Gross carbon footprint

Data is for The Open University in Scotland only. 96 87 87 87 87

26 Visit www.open.ac.uk/scotland Email [email protected] Twitter @OUScotland Facebook OpenUniversityinScotland

All information in this report is indicative and correct at the time of going to press. Data referenced from 2019/20.

The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.